Walk on the Wild Side
by loverofcookies
Summary: She couldn’t remember doing anything that would lead to this… The only conclusion she could come to was that she had failed her university career when she wasn’t looking and was now working off all those study hours at the this...this place.
1. Chapter 1

AN: Alright, guys! This is somewhat different than what I've written before, not that I've written much, but still. So give it a read and let me know what you think, k?

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Girlicious, or the Pussycat Dolls.

Sakura sighed as she got ready for bed. Midterms were coming up, and she'd done extra studying, but she still wasn't sure if she was going to be ready. After all, the tests alone at this university were killer. Granted, that's why she'd wanted to come here, but still. Couldn't a girl get a little alone time?

Sakura sighed again, before going into the bathroom to brush her teeth. As she ran the toothpaste across her toothbrush she couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to walk on the wild side. Every day of her week was consumed with either studying or work hours at her internship. When she brushed her teeth, normally she studied. When she ate, she studied. When she ate her lunch at school, she studied.

'Well,' thought Sakura sadly, 'that's probably why I don't really have any friends except for Ino.' And Ino was halfway across the world modeling in France. Which meant that Sakura was très seule dans sa monde. Oh, well. After Sakura spat in the sink, she observed herself carefully in the mirror. Her messy ponytail and the circles under her eyes, while a great testament to her study efforts, failed to enhance her natural features, and she turned away, dissatisfied, and slightly sad that she would never be able to charm men the way Ino did.

'Just once,' thought Sakura sleepily as she crawled into bed. 'Just once, I want to be able to attract men like Ino.'

* * *

A loud rapping sounded on the door, and echoed in Sakura's ears. Her eyes shot open, only to realize that she wasn't quite where she'd started.

'What the…' thought Sakura, as she took in her surroundings. She was sitting on a stool in front of a vanity that was clearly not her own. Make-up was littered all over it, which in itself was curious, as Sakura barely owned a tube of lip gloss. She looked over the things carefully, standing up to get a better look, only to collide with some roses that had been hastily stuck in the crook between the edges of the mirror. She raised a hand to shield herself only to realize that she had pricked her finger and blood was swelling out.

'Ouch,' thought Sakura, sticking her finger in her mouth and sucking on it. As the tangy taste of the copper liquid filled her mouth, she took in the room in its entirety and gaped. Something was wrong. Something was seriously _wrong_.

The room itself was nice enough. It had the vanity, a closet, a couch, and even a small TV. But the furniture was not what Sakura had a problem with. No, that would be what was scattered all over the furniture. In fact, whoever's stuff this was, they hadn't had enough room for it, and they had shoes all over the floor.

Now, mess was something Sakura couldn't normally do. Her room at school only got messy twice a year, and that was during exam time, when she organized her notes. But even that would not have been enough to scare poor naïve Sakura as much as this did.

The alternate universe that Sakura had entered had apparently had a sense of gruesome humour, for the pure-of-body-and-heart Sakura was standing in the middle of a stripper's room. If the shockingly high heels on the floor weren't enough to go by, there were enough short shorts and sexy bathing suits to clothe an army of Pussycat Dolls, and probably the Girlicious quartet too.

Sakura stood shocked and gaping at this poor attack to her innocent mind. How the hell had this happened? She couldn't remember doing anything that would lead to this… The only conclusion she could come to was that she had failed her university career when she wasn't looking and was now working off all those horrible study hours at the indecent establishment that was this…this _place. _

Something struck Sakura and she looked down to see if she needed to cover herself up, considering some of the things that were in the room, only to find that she was dressed in a pair of jeans, some nice black wedges and a cute black halter top. Sighing even more tiredly than she had when thinking of exams, she played with her shoes and smiled slightly. At least her alternate universe self had given her a cute pedicure.

Suddenly the door swung open and in strode a girl with her blond hair pulled up into four pigtails arranged equidistant on her head. (AN: That's actually is a word, btw. Equidistant. You weren't the only one who thought it wasn't one. But MS Word confirmed it.)

"Sweetheart, what are you still doing in here?" she said, looking at Sakura in surprise as she rummaged around in a pile of clothes on the floor for something. Her dark teal eyes observed Sakura standing there gaping.

"Your break ended five minutes ago!" She turned to her hands and found what she'd been looking for. Out came a dark blue bikini that said "hott stuff" on the top. Sakura took one look at it and turned positively green.

"I don't…I don't know if I can go out there," Sakura said, sinking down on the stool once again, placing her head in her hands. The girl paused enough to see Sakura's distraught face and immediately approached her.

"What's wrong? Are you sick?" she looked at her with concern. "I can get someone to cover for you, I guess. I mean, the guys will be pretty upset, but if you're really not feeling well…" She trailed off and looked at Sakura, trying and failing to see what was bothering her.

"I don't know…" Sakura frowned. "Can't you just cover for me?" She asked the girl, letting her despair at the situation seep into tone. The girl laughed, then bit her lip as if she regretted laughing while her friend was in such pain.

"Sweetheart, you know I told you I'd never waitress! I can't put up with all the crap you take! That's why I have the easy job." She placed a comforting arm around Sakura's shoulders.

Sakura's head moved upwards slowly. This wasn't her room? She wasn't…but she needed more than this woman's word. As her eyes traveled over the vanity, they landed on the flowers once more. Her eyes focused in on the card attached to them.

"Temari," she whispered slowly. Realization sank in, and she slumped in relief. She was so happy she could have cried.

"Yeah?" asked the girl, holding her, and Sakura realized that it was her. Making a few quick assumptions, she smiled at the girl. The now-identified Temari smiled back. A few moments passed.

"So," Temari tried again. "Are you okay, or do I need to tell them to send you home for 'emotional leave'?" She observed Sakura's face quickly, seeming to sense that she was feeling better. "Because the bozos are here, and you know that if they hear that you're leaving without saying hello, they'll blow a gasket." Sakura, now feeling a lot better, raised an eyebrow curiously. She stood unsteadily on her heels, Temari helping her slightly, and wiped at her eyes, realizing that they were damp from her worry.

"I'm better now," she said easily. She smiled sweetly at Temari, thinking how nice it was that they'd had a bonding moment. Temari smirked back, and Sakura realized easily how she held her job.

"Alright, I'll tell Shikamaru you'll be out soon, ok?" Temari said over her shoulder as she went the door, bikini still in hand. Once she was gone, Sakura slumped again. She still had no clue what was going on. What had happened, that she was here?

"Alright, no sense in crying over…" Sakura trailed off as she realized she had nothing to cry over, since she didn't know anything about what was going on. Or was that a good reason to cry? Oh, well. She stood up and squared her shoulders. Things were looking up, and now she had a job to do…never mind that she had no clue what that entailed. Sakura narrowed her eyes determinedly. She was never one to back down from a challenge, and this was a whopper. 'Here goes nothing,' thought Sakura. She opened the door and crept down the hall, not noticing the fact that she was balancing well on such high heels. (AN: That's why I love wedges. So much easier to balance, let me tell you. More comfy too, although heels can't really be called comfy. . )

She traveled towards the light at the end of the hall. Music filtered through the red light coming from the room at the end as she made her way through the hallway timidly. When she rounded the corner she realized she was right beside the bar. A guy with spiky hair was leaning on the counter looking bored, but he must have heard her "clackers" because he turned to face her as she approached. His eyes roved over her in what she _assumed_ was a concerned manner, although she wasn't completely sure.

"You ok?" he finally asked, and Sakura realized this must be Shikamaru, and he heard from Temari that she wasn't feeling well. She smiled nervously and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Yeah," Sakura said, twisting her hands and glancing around. This bar was spacious, but seemed surprisingly open and warm, although that could be due to the red lights that illuminated the floor. She returned her gaze to the guy at the bar, who now had his hands in his pockets, still studying her.

"What?" she asked annoyed, before realizing what she'd said and clamping her mouth shut. She frowned and looked around, before landing her eyes on a table full of, well full of men. That was unusual, thought Sakura. There were at least ten or twelve at the table, and these tables were small so they'd had to push them together. One of the men, a tall specimen with blazing crimson eyes caught her gaze and smirked, and she blushed and looked away to find Shikamaru still looking at her. He finally relented in his gaze and turned back to the bar, getting out a couple glasses.

"You want something to drink?" asked Shikamaru, glancing at her from the corner of his eye and surprising her with a slight smile. She looked at him for a second and then thought, 'What the hell.' She flopped down on the bar stool (AN: She does like stools, doesn't she?) and placed her hands on the counter with a shy grin.

"Hit me," she said enthusiastically, and he chuckled at her, amused. His dark brown eyes met hers, and his silent smirk made her blush slightly as she continued to smile at him.

"As you wish," he said, mixing a few things together and sticking a festive umbrella in her drink. He placed it before her and wiped his hands off with a cloth. "For the lady," Shikamaru said, still smirking at her. She raised her glass to him, relaxing slightly, even though she had no idea where she was, and she knew, no matter where she was that she was still underage.

After taking a few sips Sakura had to admit to herself that it was pretty good. A thought struck her, and she called out to Shikamaru.

"Hey," she said, and he turned to her from where he had been polishing more glasses. "Aren't I supposed to be working?" She crossed her legs over her stool and swore that his eyes slid downward before meeting hers again.

"I got Tenten to cover for you," Shikamaru said, shrugging. He slid a cigarette and lighter from his pocket and lit up behind the counter. Sakura wrinkled her nose, and he let his breath out in front of her teasingly, still smirking when she sneezed cutely.

"Gross," Sakura said, frowning at him after she was done. He shrugged, and blew on his cigarette some more before crushing it under his foot. She looked around for the no-smoking signs she just _knew _were there somewhere, and when she couldn't find any returned to look at him settle behind the bar once more.

"You do know that you're not supposed to smoke in here right?" Sakura said, somehow _knowing_ that this was something that was right, and something that she would say. He merely rolled his eyes.

"And you're not supposed to drink," he said, smiling. "So I guess we're both criminals." She scowled at him, and he chuckled once again. Finally, she was relaxed, and she couldn't help but think that if in this place she met more people like Temari and Shikamaru, she wouldn't mind staying here. She closed her eyes and let the taste of the alcohol settle over her mind like a fog.

* * *

Light drifted in through the blinds of Sakura's room as she shifted under the blankets. She mumbled slightly in her sleep before shooting straight up in bed, wide awake as her alarm blared a happy morning song. She turned to glare at it before pondering her dream. 'Wonder what that was all about,' Sakura thought. She continued to think about it as she got up and stumbled into the bathroom to brush her teeth. She just couldn't get rid of the nauseous feeling in her stomach, and she was starting to get a headache as well.

'This sucks,' thought Sakura grumpily. 'I can't have this the week of midterms.' She growled around her bathroom before heading into the kitchen. Strangely, there was a small bottle on the counter, with a note underneath it. She picked up the bottle and realized it was aspirin. Curious now, she read the note, then gasped.

"Sakura,

Thought you might want something for the hangover. Just because you can hold your liquor doesn't mean you're invincible.

Shikamaru"

'What the…' thought Sakura. 'What the hell HAPPENED last night?!!!'

AN: And that's all she wrote! Well, for this part anyways. Not sure if I want to write any more, so if you liked it, let me know, okay?

Questions/Concerns (Not sure why I put concerns…) :

Temari _is _a stripper, but this restaurant/club/bar is a classier place then most, and none of the strippers actually get naked. Ummm, what else? A lot of other characters will proceed to make an entrance if I write more, as it's supposed to be a Saku-multi, but we'll see.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Hi ^^ I'm not really sure what's going to happen in this story. I did originally have a plan, but so far it's been dissolving. Oh well. Whatever.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

A pajama-clad Sakura sat on her bed. The covers were turned down, ready for her, but she just stared, lost in the green light of her alarm clock.

The week of midterms had been killer, but Sakura couldn't even focus on them, drifting between what she'd been actually doing (which was writing tests) and her dream the first night before midterms. Everything had felt so real. The tables, the people, the liquor. Sakura let her hand drift to her forehead with a slight frown, rubbing it subconsciously.

'I don't understand,' thought Sakura to herself. 'If it wasn't a dream, then what could it be?' Coupled with this confusion was the fact that, since that night, nothing had happened. No more weird dreams. Sakura sighed. Maybe she had just imagined the whole thing.

'And the medicine?' the annoying counterpart in her head piped up. Sakura frowned, and shook her head, hair flying as she rid herself of the thoughts.

'I'm just a victim of sleep-walking,' she told herself firmly, before pulling the covers over herself and drifting to sleep.

Someone was shaking her shoulder. Sakura groaned, then shifted her head to the side, shrugging her shoulder in the hope that they would leave her alone. She had no desire to leave the warm, dozy blanket that was her state of sleep.

"Come ON, Sakura!" An annoyed voice said as another hand settled on her shoulders, shaking more urgently. "We're going to be late!" There was the sound of a door opening, then closing.

Sakura groaned slightly, shifting into a more wakeful pose. She cracked open one eye, running a hand through her sleep-messed hair. Taking in the twilight making it's way through the windshield, she froze. Twilight? Windshield. Her eyes opened fully, and she blinked several times.

She was inside a car. There were some coloured beads hanging from the rear-view mirror, and girly things littered about. CD's, and make-up were scattered about, and there was some loose change in the cup-holders.

Sakura eyed the beads hanging from the rear-view mirror. There was only one person she knew of who did that. She growled slightly before shaking her head.

'If Ino's taken me on one of her harebrained schemes again…' Sakura threatened inwardly, opening the car door and slowly got out to stand on unsteady legs. She leisurely stretched, letting her hands drift over her head, before letting them fall back to her sides. There was the sound of metal door opening and closing, and someone strode up behind her. Sakura turned around to see Ino striding up towards her. Ino scowled at her slightly, then grabbed her wrist and started pulling her towards the metal door she'd came out of. Sakura glanced around and saw that they were in the parking lot of a brick building. They were in the employee section in the back, so Sakura couldn't see what the building was for exactly.

Something inside her was saying that this wasn't right. Something didn't feel like it should. Sakura frowned, concentrating for a second, before her mind started to clear.

"Will you stop staring at me and walk, woman?!" Ino said, still majorly annoyed, as she pulled Sakura through the door into a brightly dimly lit hallway. Sakura finally pulled away from her once they were inside, and Ino turned around, hands on her hips, glaring slightly.

"What? It better be important!" She continued to scowl at Sakura. "You're going to make us late _again_, Sakura! I know you were sick this week, and you couldn't come in, but not all of us have the same excuse for being late!"

'Sick…this week…' Sakura's mind suddenly began to speed up. 'I wasn't sick…' she thought to herself, nose crinkling slightly. The light of reason burst through. 'I was doing midterms. And this doesn't seem right because Ino is supposed to be in France! She's not supposed to be here!'

Sakura looked at Ino. She seemed real enough. Then why was she here?

"Ino," she said slowly. "I don't understand…" The statement, and Sakura's genuine confusion seemed to take the irritation out of Ino's sails. She sighed, and leaned back against the wall behind her.

"I'm sorry, Sakura," Ino said, running a hand through her short blond hair. That was another thing, Sakura noted, frowning. Ino had always had long hair. She liked it that way, and her modelling agent had recommended it.

"It's just that I'm a little skimped on this weeks rent, you know?" Ino continued, frowning and staring at the floor. "And you know that no one tips as well when you're gone."

Sakura was now completely lost. Ino was scrounging for money? Ino? The girl who had been modelling since high school Ino?

"Did you lose your other job?" Sakura asked slowly, still confused. Ino looked up at her, mirroring Sakura's confusion.

"What other job?" Ino asked, radiating confusion and concern. "Are you sure you're feeling better?"

Sakura's eyes widened slightly. No other job? But then what happened?

"What happened, Ino? Did they find someone else?" Sakura asked, genuinely sorry for her friend. Ino's face changed from slight confusion to complete confusion.

"What are you talking about Sakura?" Ino asked, slightly irritated that her friend was playing with her like this. Sakura continued to stare at the wall.

"Listen, I don't know what you're talking about, but I can't afford to be late." Ino shrugged, then gave her a small smile and walked away.

"But…" Sakura trailed off. How could it possibly be that Ino didn't have a modeling career? Sakura knew that she did. She'd seen the ads!

Unless…Sakura continued in the direction that Ino had headed and discovered a door on the right. She peeked in and saw that there was a small bathroom. When she closed the door, she noticed that there was a sign on the door that said, 'Employees only'. Her quick mind shot back to the fact that they'd come through the employee entrance. Come to think of it…

Sakura's mind whirled around. The lighting was the same. She continued down the hall, almost trotting now in her eagerness to reach the end. And there it was. The same bar, the same tables, the same stool. She placed a hand on the wall to steady herself against the adrenaline that was pumping through her petite, shell-shocked body. Her eyes swept over everything.

It was the same, but at the same time, it wasn't. The place had been pretty quiet last time, while it was bustling this time. Busy waitresses hurried from table to table, taking orders and returning with drinks. She caught a brief glimpse of Ino carrying a tray of multi-coloured glasses to a table of semi-drunken college guys.

"Sakura?" a warm voice said, breaking through her thoughts. Sakura looked up to see Shikamaru looking at her, concern clouding his deep black eyes. "Are you ok?"

Sakura opened her mouth, hesitated, then closed it again.

'No,' though Sakura inwardly, biting her lip. 'I'm not ok. Something is wrong.'


End file.
